The present invention relates to flow regulators for regulating the flow of a fluid. The invention is particularly useful for regulating the flow of water to a water sprinkler, and is therefore described below with respect to this application.
There are many applications where the flow of a fluid must be maintained relatively constant under varying fluid pressure conditions. One such application is in water irrigation devices, such as water sprinklers, wherein it is desired to maintain a relatively constant flow output from each sprinkler in a long line of sprinklers even though there is a substantial pressure drop from the first sprinkler to the last sprinkler of the line, or even though the ground conditions are such that the sprinklers may be located at different elevations. Many flow regulators have been developed for this purpose, but efforts are nevertheless being continuously made to simplify the construction of such regulators, to reduce their sensitivity to clogging, and to permit quick cleaning in the event of clogging.